Material and article handling machine



Nov. l2, 1935. l.. c. FRANK MATERIAL AND ARTICLE HANDLING MACHINE 'i sheets-sheet 1 Filed July 7, 1952- 1N VEN TOR. (1951; (fm

BY K mfzylmmq@ ATTORNEY.5

Nov. 12, 1935. c. FRANK 2,020,938 Y MATERIAL AND lARTICLE HANDLING MACHINE Filed July '7, 1932 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTO. MM5 M ATTORNEY;l

NOV. 12, C. FRANK y MATERIAL AND IARTICLE HANDLING MACHINE Filed July 7, 1952 Sheets-Sheet` 3 INVENTOR.

aan )zw-2M BY MQ,

ATTORNEY# I (im,

Nov. l2, 1935./ c. FRANK v2,020,938

l MATERIAL AND ARTICLE HANDLINGMACHINE Filed Ju-ly 7, 1952 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 v -J/ @i a o. i0'

.' 5 MV INVENTo-R. @9 www M ATTORNEY;

` i A l y Nom/12, 1935. L. c. FRANK 2,020,933

' l MATERIAL AND ARTLCLE HANDLING MACHINE Filedwuly 7, 1932 7 shets-sheet 5 d Af/ I 'o 'l WMA/70@ BY zi-M4', c', am

777--m t f g ATTORNE a 0 ll G 2. 5? z.. r E:

- ATTORNEY;

NOV. l2, 1935. C- FRANK MATERIAL ANDARTICLE HANDLING MACHINE Filed July 7, 1932 Tsneets-sheet e Nov. 12, 1935.

, L. c. FRANK MTERIAL AND ARTICLE HANDLING MACHINE Filed July '1, 1952 7 sheets-snee@ 7,

mm kw .I

. v INVENTOR.

BY' f 5f@ www #M ATTORNEY;

Patented ov.V 12j, 1935 accuses MATERIAL AND ARTICLE HANDLING MACHINE Louis C. Frank, Milwaukee, Wie., assigner,` by mesne assignments, to Trackson Company, Milwaukee, Wis., a. corporation of Wisconsin Application July "l, 1932, Serial No. 621,29?.

Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in material and article handling machines and while capable of advantageous use as a shovel orv loader is equally well adapted, with slight modiiications 5 for use as a crane, a. bull-doser, a back ller, a blade snowplow, a platform loader, or the like.

One o the important objects oi the present invention ,is to provide a machine of this character which is so constructed and4 so organized that lo' the shovel or other instrumentality carried by the lifting frame or arms may be raised through .a substantial vertical distance, that is, to a much higher height than ii a purely swinging lifting frame o the same length were employed asin accordance with prior practices.

Another'important object of the invention re- Sides in the novel control wherein one lever controls raising, holding and lowering of the bucket or other instrumentality and this with a 'simple back and forth movement of the lever.

Other objects and advantages reside in, cer-f ment andv combination o parts which will be" hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in theappended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which: Figure 1 is a View in side elevation'showing the loader constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a view in horizontal section taken on line 2--2 of Figure i; A

Figures 3 and 4 are views in vertical section taken on lines 3 3 and- I-, respectively, of Figure 2;

Figures 5, 6 and Y are sectional views taken on lines 5 5, 6--6 and l-, respectively; of Figure l;-

Figure 8 is a detail sectional view taken on line Sfof Figure 7;

Figure 9 isa fragmentary view partly in elevation and partly in section showing the mann@ of mounting the bucket or shovel on the lifting frame and of releasably holding the'bucket in one position;

Figure 10 is a plan view of Figure 9, as indicated ignates generally a tractor which may be of any` suitable construction. The present invention includes a main frame consisting of two side frame members 2,"the rear ends of which are mounted and secured in yokes 3 having removable caps 4, which clamp the yokes to the rear axle housing oi.' the tractor as will be understood from Figure 1. At their forward ends the main framing mem. bers d are riveted or otherwise suitably secured to vertical angle bars 5 (see Figure 2) which are suitably cross connected and braced, as will be apparent from Figure 6. The frame members t are suitably secured to bolster B oi the tractor and they may also be connected to the tractor w intermediate their ends, if desired. Tre angle bars 5 constitute elementsoi a super-structure or framing designated generally at F and which includes not only the angle bars E but also a pair of angle bars 6 spaced rearwardly from the angle E5 bars d, although longitudinallyalined therewith. The angle bars 5 and 6 are connected fore and aft by connecting members l and Si and bracing s and are cohnected transversely in any appropriate manner, horizontal glisse-ts l and vertical 2@ gussets 8' being employed at the points of connection of the framing member, if desired. For example, the angle bars 5 are cross connected at their upper ends by the cross member it and are cross braced as indicated at ii (see Figure 6). 25 The angle bars t are connected at their upper ends by a cross member i2 (see Figure 7), and the entire framing F isbraced and reinforced by the structural elements designated in Figures 3, e and 'l at i3 and constituting the support for the 30 hoisting mechanism as will hereinafter appear. Braces 9 and i6 are also provided. 'it is to be understood at this point that the framing F may be constructed in any suitable -cr appropriate manner.

An implement carrying or lifting frame designated generally' at i is provided and consists of a pair of lifting armsl, one at each side of the machine. At their forward ends the lifting arms are cross connected by means of an angle bar or 40 cross member i6. In the construction illustrated,

a bucket il has runners I8 secured to its bottom and therearward ends of the runners are pivoted as at I9 to extensions 20 of the arms It (see Fig1 ures 9 and 10). The bucket l1 is of 'special con- 45 struction in that its bottom Il slants upwardly and rearwardly from its forward edge and merges into acombined back and top l'lb which first curves rearwardly and upwardly and then curves forwardly and upwardly. The sides of the bucket 50 and top. With this construction loading and dumping are facilitated. When-` the bucket is ,be-

'ing filled the material crowds u'p against the com- 55 bined back and top wall and isrolled over into the confines ofthe bucket. Then again when A dumping the material readily leaves the bucket since there are no sharp corners or other struc- 24' secured in bearings provided therefor in lugs 25 of thearms I5. Springs 26 are provided to urge the hooks 22 into engagement'withthe catches 2l.` A shaft 24 is supported for rotation in, and at its ends projects beyond, the sleeves 24'. Dogs 21 are fixed to the ends of the shaft 24 and have ateral projections 21' which engage undercornesponding projections 22' formed on the hooks. One of the dogs 21 has a lever 28 integral therewith' whereby when the lever is Pulled ina counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 9, the shaft 24 will be similarly turned and 'will act through the dogs 21 to swing the hooks 2L against the action of their springs 26 and outfiengagement with the catches 2 I I This releases' the bucketso that it may turn under the influence of gravity about its pivots I9 and dump its load. The means for swinging lever 28 will be described hereinafter. i

With the bucket mounted in 'the manner described, the pitch of the edge of the bucket may be variedtoregulate the digging action or to maintain an even grade by interposing llers or spacers between the combined back and top of the bucket` and the seats afforded by the` extensions 20 of `the arms I5. ,One practical method of accomplishing this purpose is to form such fillers or spacers as integral extensions of the lugs 2|, the spacers being riveted or otherwise suitably secured tothe bucket. Y

The rearward ends of the arms, I5 are provided with outwardly projecting guides, preferably v rollers 30, which, when the lifting frame is raised,

ride in inwardly facing channel guides 3| fastened to the -angle bars 6 of th'e framing F. 'Ihe anges ofthe channel guides 3i remote from the angle bars 6 are Jreinforced and stiffexied by angle guide strips 3l'. When the 'frame I is disposed inits lowermost position, that is, in its digging or scoop#- ing' position, the rearward ends of the arms are r/eceived in and directly abut the walls of sockets 32.v These sockets are preferably heavy castings securely fastened to the frame members 2 to the angle bars 6; and to the channels 3l, the socket castings 32 serving as connections between the anglel bars 6 and channels on the one hand and the frame members 2 on the other. Adjacent@ their forward ends the arms I5 are provided with inwardly and laterally projecting guides, preferably rollers 33 (compare Figures 1 and 10), the rollers 33 being rotatably mounted on mounting lugs 34 provided therefor on,.;,the arms. After the 65 of the super-structure F, as will be understood lifting frame has been elevated to a predetermined'extent, these .rollers 33 enter the flaring lower ends 35 of channel guides 36, which guides are securely fastened te the vertical angle bars 5 from Figures l and 2.

.To take care of wear on the lifting arms I5, wearing plates I4' areadjustably supported on these arms and their flat faces are disposed to ride along the surfaces of the angle bars 5. The plates I4 are secured in position by bolts andnuts Il'and adjustment is effected by using more or less shims I4". This expedient, along with the adjustable mounting of the rollers 30 and 33,`

compensates 'for inaccuracies in the construction of the main frame and super-structure. The

rollers may be adjustably mounted in any suitable way as by employing shims 33* between the rollers and their mounting means (lugs 34 in '5 Figure 10) and by having nuts and washers 33h for holding the roller pivots in position.-

For raising and lowering the frame I and consequently the `bucket I1, or other implement used in lieu thereof, hoisting mechanism is provided .lo and in the construction selected for the sake of `example consists of two hoisting lines 31, each of which has one end passed around a.A pulley 39 mounted on one of the sleeves 24' clamped to the' portion of the line leading to the pulley. as inl5 dicated at 39'. From the point of attachment of thelines to the pulleys 39 they are extended up and over sheaves 4I! vmounted for rotation and transverse sliding movement on axles 4I effasheave mounting 42 (see Figures 1 and 6) and then 20 rearwardly and downwardly to hoisting drums 43 to which they are secured (compare Figures 1 and 2). Obviously various arrangements of the hoisting line, otherthan that shown, may be employed. 25

The hoisting drums 43 are rotatably mounted on drum shaft 44. The interior of each drum 43 is hollow (see Figures 7 and 8) and provided with an integral or inward projection 45 which is engageable with a key 46 securely fastened tof30 the shaft 44. Thus, each drum 431s free to par' take of nearly a complete revolution relative to its shaft. For the purpose of taking up cable slackgone of the end plates 41 of each drum is inset fr om the end of the'drum to accommo- 35 date a coil spring v48, one endof which is fase tened to the periphery of its drum 43 as at 43' and the other end of which is interconnected with the shaft 44 by virtueof the provision of a cap plate. 50 on each endl of the shaft, each` cap 4o plate 50 having a notch;l which is interlltted with Y theinturned inner end48 of its spring 43- (see Figure 3). The springs 48 are wound whenever vthere is any tension on the hoisting cables and are released when the hoisting cables are re- 45 lieved of tension, whereupon these springs unwind and operate as cable tighteners, taking up slack in the hoisting cables.

The drum shaft 44 is supported for rotation in l bearings 52 `provided. therefor in a gear casing 50 53 (see Figure 7), the gear casing in turn being supported on and suitably secured to the framing F. Within" the gear casing a worm wheel 54 is fixed to the shaft 44 and meshes with a worm 55 formed on or secured to a worm shaft 56 (see 55 Figures 4 and '7). As shown in Figure 4, the shaft 56 is rotatably mounted in bearings 51 provided therefor onthe gear casing 53 and at one end extends beyond the gear casing. To the projecting portion of the shaft 56, a combined driven 60 clutch member and brake drum 68' is secured. The member 66 constitutes the driven clutch member of a conventionalmultiple disc clutch 6I, the clutch being engaged anddisengaged by sliding4 a collar 62 along -a drive shaft 64, sup- 65 ported for rotation in bearings 64a and 64bprovided therefor on the super-structure F and in the hub of the combined clutch member and drum 68, respectively. l

The driveshaft 64 is rotated in any desired 70 manner from the engine of the tractor. For the sake of simplicity in illustration, a chain and sprocket gearing 65 is illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 5 as effecting this actuation of shaft 64 from a forward extension of the engine crank 75 As indicated, the clutch between the drive Y shafts 55 and 64 is conventional. This is true with one exception and that is that the links 66 between the collar 62 and the operating levers 6l ofy the clutch have elongated slots to permit of movement; of the collar 62 away from vthe clutch even after the clutch is completely disengaged for a purpose which will hereinafter appear.

An automatic or self-acting brake cooperates with the combined brake drum and clutch member t@ and is self-applied atfall times except when the bucket is being raised or when released manually. The brake includes the usual lined brake band l@ encircling the member 6B and having one end connected as at lll to the short Yarm of a lever 'l2 and having its other end condirection, as viewed in Figure'5, thus tending toK pull the lever i2 around and in a clockwise direc tion and eiect tightening of the band lll.

To provide for engagement and disengagement of the clutch and application and release of the brake, a single control lever 'i3 is pivotally mounted on the tractor (see Figure l). The lower arm of the lever i8 is pivotally interconnected with the lower end of a long rod'l, the 'oppo- 1 site end of which. rod is pivotally connected to a crank arm @il fixed to the outer end of the clutch shifter shaft di. This shaft is supported for rotation in bearings provided therefor on the frame F and has xed thereto the clutch Ashiftingfork 82 which extends downwardly therefrom and embraces the trunnions 62' of the shifting collar 62, as will be understood from Figures v2' and 4. The crank arm 30 has an integral platelike extension t3 also functioning as a lever and disposed beneath stud 84! adjustably secured to a crank arm 85 which is fastened to one end of a brake shaft 85. This brake shaft 86 is rotatably supported in bearings provided therefor on the framing F and it is secured to and provides the fulcrum of the lever l2. When the control lever;E 18 is pushed forwardly its lower end pulls rearwardly on the rod |19 thereby turning the clutch shaft 8 l in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 4, to cause disengagement of the clutch. If this forward movement is continued, the lever 80 continues to swing in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 3, until its platelike crank member '83 pushes upwardly` on the l stud 84 and thereby rotates the brake shaft 86 in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 5, to swing thelong'. arm ofI lever 'I2v towarddrum 6B and release the brake. 1f the bucket lowers too fast the operator merely moves the operating lever llrearwardlyas v iewed in Figure 1, and this disengages the crank member 83 from the stud 4 and permits the. spring 'I4 andthe automatic action of the brake to apply the brake.

V Whemthe-clutchis to be engagedto cause the hoist mechanism to raise the lifting frame, the

, (see Figure 1).

operator pulls Irearwardly on the control lever 18 thereby moving the crank arm 80 and clutch shaft 5l in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 3 and similarly swinging -the clutch shifter 82, as viewed in Figure 4. This engagement of the clutch 5 causes rotation of the shaft 56 in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 5, and since this tends to move the long arm of the lever ft2 toward the drum, the band l@ is slackened or loosened-at least to such an extentl that no ap- 10 preciable or material drag is exerted with the band on the drum member 6B. If 'the lever is disengaged and allowed to return to neutral posi-f tion and the load starts to lower the brake is automatically-applied and the lifting fra-me and 15 bucket heldin the position it then occupies.

in order to enable the operator to conveniently trip the bucket and thereby dump or discharge its contents a rod 90 is slidably mounted on the machine in a bearing @l provided therefor and 2o has a handle portion 92 adjacent the operator The forward end of the rod is connected as at 93 with a vertical run of a cable One end of this cable is dead-ended on the pin 95 which serves as the axis of pulley 98. The 25 cable runs from its dead-end 95 up over idler pulley 96, and then downwardly and under an idler pulley ill and then up and around an idler pulley -$8. .From the idler pulley V93 the cable 95 extends' to the point of itsconnection with the 30 lever 28. -By pulling' rearwardly' on the handle the rod 9i) moves rearwardly and pulls o'n the cable 94. This causes the .cable @il to pull on the lever 28 and rotate the lever 28 and its shaft 2d to cause the hooks 2t to disengagethe catches 35 2 l. When these hooks disengage the catches the bucket is released and swings about its pivots l@ under the influence of gravity.

In operation, when sooo-ping or digging, the

bucket I1 and lifting frame I are in the position 40 shown in Figure l. At this time the rearwardv ends of the arms i5 abut directly against the walls of the sockets 32 so' that the thrust exerted is taken direct to the main frame members it through the heavy socket castings. The rollers i5 Sil and their, mounting pins are relieved of all strain. It is to be understood, ci course, that the tractor pushes the bucket or shovel forwardly until it is filled. When the bucket is to be ele vated for transportation or for dumping, the con;- 5o trol lever 'I8 is pulled rearwardly to throw in the clutch and complete the drive from the engine to the hoist drums d3. Rotation of the hoist drums takes up on the cables or hoist lines 3l and-causes them rst to raise the lifting frame with the 55 arms I5 rotating in the sockets 3? as their fulcrums. This action continues until the rollers 33 enter the flaring ends of the guides 35. The arms l5 are now at an angle to the vertical and las the hoisting continues the lower rearward ends of the arms I5 Awill be Withdrawn from the sockets 32 and the rollers 35 will pass into the guides 3i.'

.The lifting frame and the bucket thereafter move whereupon the bucket, due to the way it is bal- 70 anced, thatis, to the manner of its mounting, .will dump by gravity. To absorb the shock due to' the forceful opening-,or dumping of the bucket, one or more eye-bolts HB are slidably mounted on the cross angle l5 between the arms l5 and 75 A `arebiased-rearwardlybysprings III. Chains III connect the eye-bolts I'I0 tolugs H3 on the bucket'. As the bucket-approaches full dumping position, the slack in the chain is taken up and 5 the springs III are compressed and absorb the shock. Y

If the operator neglected to throw out the clutch when hoisting, this will be done. automatically. For eecting automatic throwout loi the clutch 'at the proper time, a clutch trip rod I 00 is supl ported for vertical' sliding movement in a guide IOI provided on the framing F (see Figures 1 and 6). The upper end of this rod is outturned as at. |00' so as tolle in the path of movement of one of the arms I5. 'I'he low/er end of the rod |00 passes loosely through an opening |03 vprovided therefor in the crank member 83 (see Figures 2 and 3). Ab'oveand below the'member 83 nuts 'IM and |05 are threaded on therod |00. The nuts are spaced from each other by pipe B3* and are also spaced from the crank member 83 suiliciently to allow free operation and control of the hoisting mechanism from the control lever 80 without moving rod |00 except when the ex- .25 treme limit of bucket travel is reached. However, when the lifting frame I approaches the -extreme upper limit of its travel, one of the arms I5 'engages the outturned portion of the rod '|00 and lifts the rod until the washer |04a Iof the lowerv nut IM engages the crank member 83 and shifts the same to cause it to disengage the clutch and allow application of the brake.

When the bucket is lowered, the rollers 30 and 33 travel' downwardly throughl their channel 35 guideways 3i and 36, respectively, and just as thev rollers 33 leave their guideways 3B the rearward lends of the arms I5 and the rollers 30 pass int'o the sockets 32, this action occurring underV the -inuence of cooperating arcuate guides 29 and 40 29' provided on the arms I5 and frame members and preserve the proper swinging movement.'

Forward movement. of the arms I5 out of the sockets 32 is precluded until the rollers 3,3 enter guideways 35 whereupon the guides 29 and 2S' 5c are disengaged to allcw the forward movemen t desired.

While I have shown and described one type of machine, it is-to be understood that this type has been selected merely for the purposes of illustration and example and that the invention and various novel features thereof may be advantageously embodied` in various types of machines as above pointed out, and further that various changes in size, shape and arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope ofthe su joined claims.

The invention claimed is:

` l. In combination witha tractor, a frame mounted thereon, a carrying member, releasably the pivotal axis provided by said pivptal providing elements when engaged and then to a bodily upward movement disconnected from said axis on engagement of said guiding elements, the pivot ic:i the carrying member being vertically movable therewith. and hoistingmechanism connected to said carrying member for elevating the same.

2'. In combination lwith a tractor, a frame mounted thereoman implement carrying member, means interconnecting said member and said 5 frame to 'constrain said member, when elevated. rst to swinging yand then to bodily upward movement and consisting of longitudinally. spaced Iparallel guides extending substantially vertically,v with the forward guide higher than the rearward 10 guide, a socket associated with the lower end of the rearward guide and adapted to receive the l. rearward end of said member in certain positions thereof and laterally extending guides carried by said member and engageable in said paral- 15 lel guideways whensaid member has been swung upwardly through a predetermined distance, and hoisting mechanism connected to the said member for elevating the same.

3. In combination with a tractor, a frame 2)- mounted thereon, a lifting member, means interconnecting said lifting member andsaid frame to' constrain' said lifting member, when elevated, rst to a swinging movement about a pivotal axis and then to a bodily upwardmovement discon- 25 nected from said axis,l1the pivot for the lifting member being verticallyl movable therewith, said means comprising interengageableguides and rollers on the frame and lifting member, respectively, for guiding `the member in` its bodily up- 30l ward movement and releasably engageable pivotal providing elements on the frame and meme ber to provide thel pivotal axis for the swinging movement of the member, and means connected to th'e frame and cooperable with the lifting mem- 35 ,ber for taking the thrust directly when the lifting' member is in lowered position, and hoisting mechansm connected to said lifting member for elevating the same.

4. In combination with a tractor, a fixed frame 40 mounted thereon and secured thereto. an implement carrying member, means interconnecting said-implement carrying member and said frame to constrain said member, when elevated, first to a swinging movement about a pivotal axis and 45 thento a bodily upward movement disconnected from said axis, the pivot for the carrying member being vertically movable therewith, said means comprising releasably engageable pivotal-provid# ing and guiding elements on y'the frame and car- 50 l the frame and'connected to said member.

5. In combination with a tractor, a frame secured thereto and supported thereon, -longitudinally spaced parallel guides at each side of the frame, sockets connected .to said frame at the 65 lower ends of the rear` guide, a pair-of arms ex-' tending alongthe sides of the tractor and cross connected forwardly thereof, laterally extending rollers carried by the arms and projecting into said guides after said arms have' been raised' a 70 predetermined amount, the rearward ends of said arms being received in and engaged with said l, l

sockets in the lowered position of said arms, andv hgisting mechanism for-raising and lowering said 7 arms. l 5

6. In combination with a tractor, front and rear longitudinally spaced parallel guides carried by and extending upwardly with respect to the tractor, a lifting arm having rollers projecting laterally therefrom, said rollers being spaced along said arm a distance greater than the longitudinal spacing of the guides and being itted in said guides whereby said lifting arm is constrained to move bodily along said guides and in an inclined position relative thereto. l

'7. In a machine of the character described, an implement carrying frame, hoisting mechanism for raising and lowering said frame, and means constraining said frame to a swinging movement about a pivotal axis in certain phases of its operation/and to bodily vertical movement disconnected from said axis in other phases of the operation, the pivot for the frame being vertically movable therewith, said means comprising releasably engageable pivotal providing and guiding elements on the frame and machine, respectively, the guiding elements serving when erigaged to guide the frame in its bodily vertical movement and the pivotal providing elements serving when engaged to provide the pivotal axis for the swinging movement of the frame.

v 8. In combination with a tractor, an" implement carrying frame, means connected to the tractor and cooperable with the implement carrying frame for taking the thrust directly when said frame is lowered into position for scooping and digging, hoisting mechanism connected to said frame for raising'and lowering the same, and interengageable guides and releasably engageable pivotal providing elements connected to the tractor and to the frame to constrain the liframe to a swinging movement about a pivotal axis during certain phases of the operation and to a bodily movement 5 disconnected from said axis during other phases of the operation, the pivot for the frame being vertically movable with the frame in the last mentioned phase of its operation.

9. In a machine of the character described, a swingable frame, a bucket pivoted thereto, catches on said bucket, freely pivoted latches cooperable with said catches for securing said bucket against l swinging, dogs co-operable with said latches by direct engagement with the latches for disengaging the latches from said catches and manu-` ally operable means for operating said dogs.

10. In a machine of the character described, I an implement carrying frame, an implement havingy an unbalanced pivot support on said frame whereby the implement tends to move under the influence of gravity to discharging position, releasable means for securing the implement in a position to retain its load, and yieldable means and an abutment on the frame, and a flexible connector connecting the yieldable means with the implement for cushioning the shock when the implement swings to discharging position, said yieldable means when cushioning the shock acting on said abutment which is carried by the frame between the yieldable means and'its connection with said flexible connector.

LOUIS C. FRANK. 

